Suspended Nelson Mandela Bay housing boss Mvulani Mapu was one of four people who appeared on Thursday in the specialised commercial crimes court on charges related to tender fraud linked to the procurement of PPE items at municipal facilities amounting to R2.7m.
Mapu appeared alongside deputy director of facilities management Nwabisa Mtshakaza and business owners Nomsa Mazibuko and Sibusisiwe Nduvane.
They made their first appearance in the Gqeberha court.
Mazibuko’s company, Luchuphe Trading, was listed as the fifth accused.
They face charges linked to the sourcing of protective shields to be installed at front desks of municipal facilities when employees returned to work after the Covid-19 lockdown.
Mapu, who was an acting city manager at the time, and Mtshakaza were allegedly implicated in deviating from the normal tender process in appointing a service provider to source the protective shields.
It is alleged that three bids were submitted for the tender, with two being fake to complete the three-quote system.
Red flags were raised when the invoices for the services provided were well above the initial quotes.
The matter was handed over to the city’s internal auditing department, and subsequently to the Hawks for further investigation.
The four accused were released on R3,000 bail each.
They are expected back in court on October 18.
HeraldLIVE